Hoctor's Ballet is a composition by George Gershwin for full orchestra written in 1937, originally from the score for Shall We Dance. Performance time runs about 10 minutes.
Composed by Gershwin specifically for the ballerina Harriet Hoctor, the piece features string glissandos, rapid shifts in key, and the most extensive parts are written for the harp. It consists of a dramatic introduction followed by a fast waltz, a stately procession, an extended pas de deux, and a climactic reprise (also noted in some books as a separate "Shall We Dance", "Masks" or "Finale and Coda" scene.)
This is the only published music from the Shall We Dance score available besides the Walking the Dog sequence, and is significant as the last long composition written by Gershwin for the symphony orchestra.
The premiere live concert performance of Hoctor's Ballet took place on July 28, 2007 at the Severance Hall Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio, with Loras John Schissel conducting the Blossom Festival Orchestra.